Wireless devices, such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), today have many features. Examples of some features include cameras, real time video, ringer adjustment, sms/mms, data and/or voice generalized communication, and capability to turn of various modes of device communication such as cellular air interface/lrDA/Bluetooth/USB etc . Certain facilities (e.g. business/government/private), may attempt to control the usage of these features by asking users to turn off the devices, or installing hardware that can control the features while the wireless device is within the geographical area under the control of the establishment.
Existing systems require hardware, such as a local transmitter or a Bluetooth beacon, to be physically located at the site where the features of the wireless device are to be disabled. The wireless device also requires additional hardware and/or software to interface to the on-site additional hardware in order to receive the control information to disable a feature on the wireless device.
For example, the Safe Haven™ product combines hardware transmitters with a small piece of control software loaded into a camera phone handset. When the handset is taken into a room or building containing the Safe Haven™ hardware, the phone is instructed to deactivate the imaging systems. The systems are reactivated when the handset is out of range. These types of systems require after market and voluntary installation, and additional capital outlay.